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Record of monuments will be created for future generations

Work is underway to compile the first comprehensive record of ancient monuments on Ilkley Moor.

Archaeologists have started a three-year project to photograph rock carvings across Rombalds Moor and will use state-of-the-art technology to produce 3-D images of the stones.

The results could prevent deterioration of the carvings and create a fuller picture of the history of Ilkley Moor.

The study is part of the South Pennines Watershed Landscape project, which won almost £2m of Lottery funding in April to restore the landscape and heritage of the uplands.

It will examine the impact of man's intervention on the area, and is being led by community archaeologist Gavin Edwards.

Mr Edwards, who is based at Ilkley's Manor House Museum, said the study could be the last chance to get a good record.

"The first thing is getting people involved in helping record the carved rocks because although they are well-known, we don't have a standard record of them all and that's what we need to establish because we are worried about erosion," he said.

"We don't have a benchmark record of how much damage has been done, but hopefully this will help us understand how we can protect them in the future."

The imaging techniques will include photogrammetry, which uses two-dimensional photographs to create 3-D computer images.

Workshops will be held to teach people how to record data and an education worker has been commissioned to recruit schools to take part.

Mr Edwards said: "We've got to stop looking at that landscape as if it's natural – it looks the way it does as a result of human activity in the past. "I'm certain there's a huge amount of knowledge out there. I'm hoping we can create a vehicle through a website where people can offer information and get a clearer picture of what's going on. There's got to be a permanent legacy from this."